So amazing if you up the amount of spices and tomato paste. Give the vinegar a try- it really does add a depth of flavor! Cheap and easy to make, my family asks me for this all the time! Go-to for Meatless Mondays :)

Reviewer:

Wow, delicious! I added chicken stock instead of water and used fresh rosemary (delicious), but otherwise the recipe was the same. We also used Balsamic vinegar instead of red wine vinegar as that's all we had. It was amazing. I agree, the vinegar (or lemon) is an important part of the recipe. It really brings out the flavours. This will be a regular part of our menus from now on.

Reviewer:

I made this with the following adjustments: no tomato paste (I'm not a fan of tomato flavor) and I used crushed bay leaves instead of whole leaves. It was a good hearty soup and the whole family ate it up, but it seemed to be missing a little flavor. I love lentil soup so I will definitely try this again and maybe throw in the tomato paste...

Reviewer:

This is wonderful. The only thing I did differently was to add a can of diced tomatoes. DEFINITELY add the olive oil and red wine vinegar at the end - it kicks it up to a whole new level. Thanks for sharing.

Reviewer:

My mother-in-law grew up in Southern Greece and ran a restaurant with her now-passed husband for several years. Not much gets out of her kitchen without a healthy dose of cinnamon, which is excellent for flavor and digestion.
This recipe produced a soup that is awfully close to hers and very good, although I made some modifications. I substituted chicken stock for the water, I added two stalks of celery, I skipped the rosemary, and I probably didn't use a full quarter cup of olive oil (I sprayed my pot with Pam Olive Oil and then went around the pan two or three times with a drizzle of olive oil). Then, REALLY IMPORTANTLY, I added a cinnamon stick when simmering the lentils You could just as easily use ground cinnamon if you don't have a stick. Also, I didn't skimp on the tomato paste or the oregano--I probably added about 1/2 of a small can of tomato paste and a scant tablespoon of oregano (I use dried and I always crush it by rubbing my palms together over the stock pot as I add it to the soup--just because that's how my MIL does it). Because I used stock, I skipped the additional salt.
My husband liked it without the vinegar, I would recommend adding a little (not a lot) for brightness. With the cinnamon, you really could go either way. I didn't see the need to add olive oil at the end as a garnish so I skipped that.
This is a great meal that will fill you up, is cheap, relatively easy to make, and will keep in the fridge for a week if you make extras.

Delicious, full bodied, hearty soup- vinegar is imperative! This is a wonderful, healthy option for vegetarians and meat eaters! We were reluctant to add vinegar however once we did it brought this dish to another level- amazing! I usually double carrots for extra vitamin and add locatelli cheese to individual dish and top with vinegar. My family loves it!